Let's list Dave Letterman Style...The Top 20 Reasons why we should dissent to a bill pending introduction by Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) titled the “Deleting Online Predators Act” or DOPA.

20. This bill will increase the technology gap.

Blogging and the effective use Internet information is a vital skill for children to master. Only having access at home to these technologies will target our most at-risk populations by disallowing them to have access at all, since most disadvantaged kids use public libraries and schools for access to the very tools that will allow them to be competitive in the 21st century market place. Through this piece of legislation we will only further the chasm between the haves and have nots.

19. This bill will prevent the effective teaching of the Internet.

It is vital that teachers educate their students that what they post on the Internet is in a sense permanent--the follies of youth will haunt you in your thirties. Young people sometimes do foolish things; like sharing revealing pictures of themselves on the Internet. They think only the one person they send it to will ever see it. They often do these things without thinking about the consequences. (They are, after all, children.) They need to be educated how to use and access the Internet responsibly. Where better to educate them on effective Internet literacy and use than at school? DOPA would deprive them of the education that is increasingly important in the digital age.

18. This bill will stymie the use of emerging technologies that have the potential to increase student engagement.

While many students understand the importance of education, national statistics on drop out rates are too high. It is vital that we engage students in a meaningful, salient educational process. The use of social software to teach math, science, and English is being reported as revolutionary and engaging by many educators in the classroom. Because this technology is so new, the research has just begun. This bill would in effect, remove the United States from the forefront of the most promising technologies to emerge in education since the inception of the computer and the Internet.

17. This bill will limit the sharing of best practices among educators around the world.

Educators, teachers, administrators, and others are journaling in online journals called blogs about their best practices of not only new technology but on all forums. There is no standard platform for blogging but most educators use the free blogging tools available to them because they are fast, easy, and inexpensive. This bill would effectively remove the American public school teacher and administrator from reading about and sharing their best practices with the world. This would be to the detriment of American public school students who will be completely left out of innovations that emerge much more rapidly than previously. Research papers are presented and conferences, published, and discussed via blogs. This research would have to be disseminated via other means to public schools who wanted to improve based on the latest research. American education is in a crisis situation and our students need their teachers and administrators to be able to participate in the discussion.

16. This bill will prevent research into emerging technologies.

The system that teaches America's teachers focuses on research based methodologies. The technologies of wikis and blogs are very exciting and have produced a lot of anecdotal evidence to show that they work effectively. Basic research into these technologies is just beginning and would be halted before it reached critical mass. In America, we simply must re-engage our students into the education system. By limiting one of the most promising technologies, we could also be setting aside a technology that has the potential to move us forward and become competitive again with the world.

15-2

1. This bill will cause more predatory behavior because of the lack of education.

When threats to the safety of our citizens arise such as the dangers of tobacco and the dangers of the not wearing seatbelts, our country wisely seeks to educate our citizens. In our free country, our citizens can choose to participate in harmful behavior, but we hope they will do it with open eyes and and understanding of their choices. We have a mechanism to reach the majority of our children about the dangers of Internet predators and privacy: the public school system. To neglect teaching safety to these children is to be contrary to the beliefs that most educators hold dear. Rather than restrict access, we should focus on educating students. Rather than forcing students to log on alone, we should guide them onto the Internet at school. This does not mean they will be doing personal activities on school time, rather it means they will learn effective, productive, and safe methodologies of harnessing the newest tools to learn.

***Other Potential Additions to the Top 20 list ***

1. The bill's language can't be edited/massaged into acceptability. The fundamental premise of restricting technology is wrong.

2. Look at the fear-mongering and bad use of data in the argument for the bill.

3. Consitutes an attack on the internet

4. Constitutes an attack on local control of schools

points from

http://technosavvy.org/?p=410